The Free Believers Network
Not into atheism? Not into Church? A believer not a seeker? Still believe in the Judeo-Christian grand plan of things but is looking for new solutions in that framework? This may be the site for you!

A good man has passed away today. After a long battle with esophageal cancer this summer, Grace Communion International Pastor John Halford finally passed into the fullness of His Wonderful Kingdom. Those who were hoping that he would conquer this and even one individual very high up in GCI even suggested that there was a “Divine Appointment” a misdiagnosis of tumours but another pastor gave the grave news that it wasn’t so. During the ordeal, John Halford was handling this very well, even getting ready for certain divine appointment from Jesus: Today, you will be with me in Paradise. Nobody can ever have any greater “divine appointment” being with the Master in Paradise despite it is a sad thing for the rest of us because we will be missing him for a very long, long, long time.

Before Grace Communion International, there was the Worldwide Church of God—-a cult labelled by many evangelicals which eventually steered to orthodoxy in the early 1990s. John Halford was a long time minister in the historic Worldwide Church of God and yes, there are some who hold that against him. Some will say he was just a hireling with a superior sense of humour. He might have been a product of the environment and yes there was a toxic environment which I am acutely aware but I cannot deny that there individuals who were different, dared to be different and some even payed the price for being different (John was never raised to evangelist rank in the historic WCG) and I still can only conclude that he was truly a “voice of reason” through it all. Can anybody attribute that to then top evangelists like Gerald Waterhouse, Rod Meredith, Raymond McNair—-or even the founder Herbert W. Armstrong who could make Alice in Wonderland’s The Queen of Hearts seem rational and reasonable? I think not! These so-called top men who had nothing better to do to make stuff up (most of the time it made no sense) can never hold a candle to a man who always thought outside the box much to the chagrin of many—and did so until his dying day.

I remember his visits to Toronto in the early ’90s. His sense of humour could not be ignored. His cheekiness was somewhat to be admired where there was a multiple number of those who were “holier-than-thou” and literally believed that lightening up was a sin. I read his articles in The Plain Truth magazine back in the mid-90s and other church literature he written. A cut above the rest. The mid 1990s came and the historic Worldwide Church of God faced it’s massive doctrinal upheaval (New Covenant theology was “introduced”) in it’s then 60 year or so history. It made the 1973-74 debacle (Divorce and Remarriage policy and the so-called proper day of Pentecost) look like a Muppet movie. John Halford had a wonderful taped message called a “New Frontier of Faith”. It was positive, upbeat and futuristic oriented (John was a futurist like me while others were just simply joyless, dull fatalists) . I also appreciated his jab at what I would call “grace Nazis” in what he said, “Hey I live and believe the New Covenant but I eat like if I’m under the Old.” Some wanted to show ( I say bully) their righteousness by “eating pork” over the ones who are “weak in the faith”—which in my opinion is stupid and shallow to say the least and a poor measuring stick but that’s simply neither here nor there. In the late ’90s, John Halford had a video called Creation or Evolution. Some thought he offered no firm conclusions and that was a bad thing. I thought the opposite. It was refreshing to see somebody who seen no tension between science and faith or even believing in God and evolution simultaneously. It was time for people in the Worldwide Church of God TO ASK QUESTIONS about science! At the same time he was Regional Director of WCG in the United Kingdom and published their own version of The Plain Truth which was reported to be the number one Christian magazine in the U.K. I, for a while subscribed to it and even helped contribute to their magazine by converting what money I made into British pounds. I would do it over again, if I could and had a better job (so I would have given more)! It was that good that NT Wright could probably read an issue or two. I still believe that the UK Plain Truth back in the 90s should have been the standard one over the American evangelical Plain Truth hands down. Sorry, I take the Neo-Anglicanism of John Halford and his sidekick Jim Hurst—over the clap happy American evangelicalism any day. I will even dare to suggest that probably the Neo-Anglican route was probably the best, non-confrontational way for the then WCG to steer towards orthodoxy than the hot mess that the leadership imposed in ’95. If only…

Whether you agreed with his decision or not, John Halford decided to stay and lead the WCG into becoming Grace Communion International. He was sincere in his decision. I thought he should have started his own ministry back in the late 90s but he kept writing articles for Grace Communion International and advising congregants ministers and members alike right until the end. I thought this video would be an appropriate one of what he was all about during his later years. Rest in paradise,Mr. John Halford until we meet again!

The last post I dealt with had something to do with human sexuality and how religion represses that desire to control the masses, I have discovered to keep a good thing going. I have meant to post the following videos below for the longest time and now this is best time to post it. This Ex-Mormon couple who bravely and boldly discuss their experiences about their sex lives in the Mormon cult and the psychological damage and burdens it caused for the couple. What gets me mad is that Mormon clergy can sleep at night. Shame on them!

There is a song that was released back in the 1990’s called What’s Up (I believe the song was released in the wrong decade. It should have been released back in the 1960’s but that’s neither here nor there) . In the lyrics, the singer says she prays ” for a revolution” . I will say that I also pray for a revolution for many things wrongheaded in the world. I hope this upcoming book from Dr. Roy Blizzard called the Bible, Sex and You will cause a revolution in thinking regards to human sexuality in the Christian Church. Christianity (Western Christianity which is more specifically Catholic and Protestant) has taken it’s marching orders from St.Augustine for so too long(not only about sex but other important theological issues that affects us today as well). Also if those in the XCGs who have indoctrinated over the Missing Dimension In Sex booklet for all these years, probably this new booklet from Dr. Blizzard will give you something new, refreshing and liberating! Brian Knowles from the Association for Christian Development organization (an Armstrongist Refusnik group—which is a very good thing) had this to say in reviewing the book:

One of the reasons for this sorry state of affairs is that the Church generally has lost the connection with its Hebrew roots. This is as true for its teachings on sex as for any other theological topic. Dr. Roy Blizzard asserts, “Unfortunately, I am sorry to say, almost everything taught in Christianity regarding sex, human sexuality, until this very day, has been wrong and has led to sexual frustration and bondage,” (The Bible Sex and You, p. 25).

Blizzard further asserts, “It is through the Christian theology of the first 1400-1500 years of Christianity and from books written by pseudo-scientists that people not only had some of the distorted and dangerous views about sex that they did but, as a result, continue to remain in ignorance and bondage until this very day,” ibid, p. 29.

These are working premises of the new book by Dr. Blizzard. It’s an easy read – only 94 pages including End Notes, Bibliography and Glossary. Despite its brevity, it covers the whole span of human sexuality from an Hebraic perspective.

He addresses marriage, orgasm, Judaic thought on human sexuality, contraception and birth control, abortion, marriage laws and customs, homosexuality, transsexualism, masturbation and pre-marital sex. Dr. Blizzard discusses ancient Greek and Roman attitudes to sexuality and how they affected Christian thinking following the disappearance of the original Jewish apostles. “…many of the practices of Cynicism and Stoicism – and especially that of asceticism and later on celibacy – were adopted by the early Christians. As a result, asceticism and self-denial, seclusion and austerity, celibacy and monasticism are characteristic of Catholicism to this very day,” (ibid. p. 16).

Mr.Knowles continues:

Dr. Blizzard discusses the origins and falsity of the doctrine of original sin. He also takes to task standard Christian understandings of “lust,” the idea that there is something tainted about sex in marriage, the normalcy of sexual fantasies, lesbianism, and reasons for divorce.

The book will probably prove somewhat offensive to some highly conservative, deeply conditioned, Christians, and not liberal enough to some on the other side of the theological fence. The book is worth a read, if for no other reason that it lays aside many of the common sexual myths believed by Christians. For the more open-minded, it can have a freeing effect from the bondages of traditional Catholic and Evangelical beliefs about how Christians may express their sexuality.

It’s about time! For those interested, you can see Dr. Blizzard’s website right here.

Instead, pray, speak life, and mourn with those who mourn. Tragic moments ought not to be used as a pulpit for attempting to prove your point. This is a moment to somehow, someway, show the love of God to a brokenhearted world around us. Love on your families, and love on those who have none. Don’t be an opportunistic Christian, seeking to capitalize on another’s pain.

Be Jesus.Today, we are reminded once more that there are hundreds and thousands of twisted individuals living on our planet.

Instead, pray, speak life, and mourn with those who mourn. Tragic moments ought not to be used as a pulpit for attempting to prove your point. This is a moment to somehow, someway, show the love of God to a brokenhearted world around us. Love on your families, and love on those who have none. Don’t be an opportunistic Christian, seeking to capitalize on another’s pain.

If you have been a long time member of Armstrongism and it’s various splinters, for many long and grueling years it is probably high time to consider this advice. This was originally aimed at the far-left secularists in the U.S. (and other western democracies) who want to take faith away from anything and everything public. No exceptions! This also applies to those in the XCGs who usually have a far-right theocratic fundamentalist worldview, too. Both seem to not mind being born party poopers. While the rest of us who see many shades of gray and don’t think ONLY in absolutes would like to enjoy life from a very hectic and busy lifestyle.

Oh by the way, you might want to listen to the audio clip of that radical leftist, black liberation theologian, a disciple of Obama’s pastor Jeremiah Wright, the one who said that the Bible has equal weight to the Koran, the Tao and every holy book who destroyed the God’s Church and threw it into heresy in that fateful year 1995! Well for those who live in the real world and don’t let paranoid imaginations dominate our thinking process, this African American pastor is a conservative (I’d say very conservative) in his theology and it if you don’t know anything about Reformed Theology of which his post-WCG theology is, here’s something on wikipedia to get started on. Mr. Earl H. Williams in this audio clip is presenting a “third way” on the Christmas issue by saying “worship Christ, but not Christmas. I hope those will give it a listen and hear another point of view that may be different from their own. Listen here and enjoy!